Something Real
by BonJeanne
Summary: A Blake/Stevie fic starting from "Better Angels"
1. Chapter 1

It had been an average night in the life of Blake Moran—typing memos, sending emails, ironing pockets squares, freaking out about the state of the treaty and the world in general—until Stephanie McCord appeared on his doorstep, on the verge of tears. She clung to him like he was an anchor in a stormy sea.

"I'm really scared," she admitted into his shirt. "Everything's just so messed up, you know?"

* * *

It had been an average night in the life of Stephanie McCord—typing memos, sending emails, scavenging for leftovers in the fridge, pretending like she had a plan and direction for her life—until she heard her mother talking about how hopeless everything seemed. So she ran to the only person in the whole world who seemed to get it. He clung to her like she was the only piece of hope left in a world of despair.

"I know," he whispered into her hair. "I'm scared too."

* * *

"Thanks for dealing with my freaking out," Stevie said, hiding her blush by taking a sip of tea out of the mug he had given her.

Blake shrugged, hiding his blush by turning to the stove to shut off the burner. "I was freaking out just as much. It's nice to not be alone."

"That's what real friends are for."

"About that—"

"You freaked out, didn't you?" Stevie smiled knowingly.

"No. Well, yes. I mean, I've freaked out more about other things. Not that you're not important enough to freak out over. Sorry, I tend to ramble in front of McCords." He let out an exasperated sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. "What I'm trying to say, you've dated more people in the past five years than I've dated in my life. And maybe they all haven't been great ideas—"

Stevie snorted, "Most of them."

"—but I admire that you have the courage to follow your heart. Since we talked about what we would do if the world were ending, I realized that everything I've done in my life is for some hypothetical future I think I can control. Everything I haven't done is because I'm afraid. I don't want to live that way, especially if the world might be ending. I really want to fall in love someday. And I realize that can't happen unless I take risks." Blake stopped. He wasn't really sure where he was going with this. And he wasn't sure where they were going with this, whatever "this" was. "I want something real. Whether it's friends or something else. And for it to be real, I need to take risks."

Stevie set down her mug and leaned over the counter, her face inches from his. "So take a risk."

Blake closed the gap, his lips on hers.

Her lips were soft and hot as if they were melting into his. This was different from the two quick, tentative kisses they had shared before. This was filled with fear and fire. Blake gently cupped her jaw with his hand, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.

Stevie's phone buzzed, startling both of them apart.

"It's my mom," she explained, still a little breathless. "I should probably be going home." She went back towards the entrance and was halfway through getting her jacket on before Blake managed to snap himself out of his shocked state.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. A complete lapse of judgement on my part," he said. "We can't do this."

"Why not?" Stevie exploded. "I'm so tired of hearing about what we can't do. For all we know, the world is ending. I might not be able to die without regrets, but I don't want to add anymore."

"What if you'll end up regretting this?"

"I'll regret it more if I don't."

"Stevie, are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure this is real and not just 'I-don't-want-to-die-alone' dating?" Blake asked timidly.

"I want it to be," she replied, pulling the other sleeve of her jacket on. "Not just an 'emotional-non-booty-call.' And definitely not just a regular booty call."

"Okay."

"Are you freaking out right now?"

"A little," Blake admitted with a shy smile. In a moment of bravery, he dropped a peck to the crown of her head. "Text me if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks," Stevie whispered and went on her way. The sensation of the kiss to her forehead and butterflies in her stomach followed her all the way down to the platform and to her front steps. As she was taking off her shoes, her phone buzzed again. The screen lit up with Blake's name and underneath it read, "Dinner at my place on Wednesday around 7?"

"Sounds perfect," she typed and hit the send button.

* * *

Okay I have a lot of feelings about literally everything that happened in that episode, and this is one of them. This just kind of happened this evening. I was tempted to post it under fillers, but I get the feeling it has the life of its own. I'm marking it as complete, but don't be surprised if bonus chapters pop up.

As always, please leave a review! It means a lot to me and helps me as a writer. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**If you've already read the first chapter, I added a bit so I recommend going back an rereading it.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

At 6:58 on Wednesday, Blake took a deep breath. Everything was going according to plan: the apartment was clean, the table was set, the food was ready, and the wine was uncorked. There was a knock at his door. After one last quick glance in the mirror, he dashed to get it.

"Hey." Stevie beamed up at him. She her outfit and makeup was relatively simple, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.

"Hey, come in," he said when he untied his tongue. He took her coat and hung it up before leading her to the kitchen. "Please, have a seat."

"Something smells good," she commented.

"It's sweet potato gnocchi with pumpkin sauce, completely organic and vegan." He set down a plate in front of her and then himself.

"How very classy of you, Mr. Moran."

"It's what I aim for," he said as he poured the wine. He glanced up just in time to see her flash a flirty smile.

They ate in silence for a little bit, until Stevie asked, "Tell me about yourself."

"Anything specific?"

"Well, you know all about my family. What's yours like?" She prompted.

"Both of my parents are realtors. I've got one older sister. She's married to a successful lawyer, and they have two kids. Not all that interesting, I'm afraid." He chuckled before adding, "I guess that's what happens when you're the odd one of the family."

"I totally feel that! I'm definitely the screw up of the family."

"You so aren't! Look at you: intern of POTUS's chief of staff! Your parents so proud of you."

"Yeah, but I messed up a lot to get here. It just feels like everyone else I know did it right, you know? They didn't drop out of college. They've got jobs and career paths. Most of them are either engaged or married."

"Yeah, well just wait until everyone your age starts intentionally having kids."

"Oh God, that's a terrifying thought." There was a small pause as they finished their dishes. Then it was Blake who started a the conversation this time. "I'm a little scared to ask, but what other embarrassing stories has your mom told you about me?"

"There are a few, but my favorite has to be about the time you got arrested for urinating in public."

"Oh God." He buried his flushed face in his hands as she laughed loudly.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I accidentally smuggled heroin into the White House."

Blake nearly choked on his mouthful of wine. "You did what?"

"I was wearing Harrison's jacket and it was just in one of the pockets. My dad was so mad." They both folded over in laughter. When they had calmed down, Stevie's hand settled on top of his. "Can we keep this between us for now? Just until we figure out what this is?"

"Of course." He turned his hand over so they could interlace their fingers.

"Thanks. I really enjoyed tonight."

"Me too."

Stevie got home that night a little after 10. The kitchen light was on, but no one was in sight. She grabbed a dessert and a spoon with the intention of staying in her happy daze for the rest of the evening.

"You seem happy." Her mother's voice startled her, causing the fork to clatter to the floor.

"Geez, Mom! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"How was the date?"

"Mom! Really?"

"I just wanna know! C'mon. At least tell me his name? Please?"

"Not gonna happen!" Stevie ran up the stairs, away from her prying mother. Once safely in her room, she took out her phone.

"Thanks again for tonight. I had a lot of fun. My parents are going scuba diving or something next week. Do you want to come over, and I can cook this time?"

His reply came within seconds: "I look forward to it."

* * *

Okay so two updates in two days. Maybe my writers block is over? There seems to be a strong correlation between how much I write fanfic and how close my finals are. I guess stress gives me creativity? Idk. Anywho, I don't know where this is going at all but it seems to have a mind of its own so maybe there will be more? Who knows. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks y'all


	3. Chapter 3

**Semi-important A/N- **For those of you who have been following this fic from when I first posted it, you might have noticed that I changed the status from complete to in-progress. More about that at the end. Another thing, I've changed the rating from K to T. This entire chapter is about sex. There's a vague and brief second-base description. That being said, there is no smut. Feel free to skip this chapter if that sort of thing is not to your liking.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Over the next two months, they settled into somewhat of a routine, eating at each other's home, chatting over a glass of wine, and sharing heated kisses at the end of the night. They avoided public venues, lest a reporter snapped a photo and decided to run an article. Other than her mother's occasional query into her relationship status, things were still very much under the radar.

One of those date nights took place on an unseasonably warm evening with the promise of summer just around the corner. It had rained most of the day, but it had cleared up enough to make for a beautiful sunset. The low sun illuminated Blake's small apartment, giving it a romantic glow. This evening was much like others: A dinner that was followed by desert that was followed by wine that was followed by kisses. Since that first fateful night, their kisses had evolved from tentative pecks to passionate lip-locks.

They were seated on his couch, lost in each other. Stevie swung her leg over his and settled onto his lap. She was taller than he was now, and Blake took this as an opportunity to nip at her throat. She let out a breathy half-moan. Blake's hands roamed up beneath her shirt, locating the clasp of her bra and fumbling with it until it came undone. She pulled away and smiled as she removed the top half of her garments. Waist up, it had been established a few dates prior, was fair game.

Blake swallowed heavily. He still hadn't gotten over the sight of her. He wasn't sure if he ever would. She grabbed the edges of his shirt and pulled it up, breaking his trance. After tossing his shirt to the side, Stevie tangled her fingers in his hair and drew his head to her chest. He obeys, his mouth hot and demanding on her skin. Stevie's hips started to rock on their own accord, and her nimble fingers started to unzip the fly of his pants.

Blake grasped her wrists, halting her movements. "Stevie, wait. Let's slow down."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that I… uh…" He swallowed and looked off to the side. "I've only ever had sex with men before."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh."

"Not to say that I don't want to take this further, but I'll have no clue what I'm doing. I don't want to mess this up."

"Don't worry about that. You won't mess it up. I'm sure it'll be great."

* * *

It was not great. Stevie couldn't help but to feel disappointed. Everything had been going so well, the communication, the chemistry, the kissing. So what had led to things going to wrong? Not wrong, she corrected herself. Just not great.

"Hey, Stevie," Allison said as she walked into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Sure. You've got 'boy trouble' written all over you. Spill the tea, sis."

"There is absolutely no way I'm going to talk to you about my sex life."

"Well you sure as hell aren't going to talk about this with Jason or Mom and Dad, so…"

She had a point. Stevie rolled her eyes and gave in. "Fine. I've been seeing this guy. Things have been going pretty well."

"But?" Ali prompted.

"We had sex for the first time last night. Or, at least, we tried to."

"No chemistry?"

"It's not that… I guess I just thought that because everything else had been going well the sex would be good too."

"Is he a virgin?"

"Kind of? He's bi, so he's never had sex with a woman before."

"Huh. So what are you gonna do about it?"

"That's just the thing: I don't know. It seems shallow to break up because the one time we had sex it wasn't good. It was just such a letdown that it makes me reluctant to try again, you know?"

"I get that. But you also have to remember that no one starts out good at anything. Even sex. The only way for him to get better is to keep doing it."

Stevie nodded. "I guess you're right. Thanks."

* * *

"Damnit!" Blake muttered as he grabbed a bandaid from his desk drawer. This was the second paper cut of the day, and it was barely noon. He was so caught up in thinking about Stevie and their less than ideal date that he was getting clumsy.

"You okay?" Kat asked from the office adjacent.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You seem a little put out today."

Blake sighed. There was no use trying to lie so he went to her office and closed the door behind him. He sat down in the chair opposite her and visibly deflated. "Can I just vent about something? From one bi person to another?"

"Shoot." She set down her pen and paper, ready to listen.

"It's not fair that we have to lose our virginity twice."

"Oh. Wow. Okay," Kat said, a little stunned. "Didn't see that coming at all."

"Sorry. It's totally weird we're talking about this."

"No, it's cool. And you're totally right. First time I had sex with a woman, I had no idea what I was doing. It was kinda awful."

"Right there with you," Blake said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"But in the end, you realize that the gender of the person doesn't matter. What matters is that you're sharing an intimate experience with your partner. In the big picture, not a whole lot changes. It's still about listening to the other person and enjoying the experience. Don't be too hard on yourself, Blake. You'll figure it out."

He paused a moment to consider her words. They made him feel a little bit better. Maybe that one night hadn't ruined everything. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

* * *

They had another date the following week, also at Blake's apartment. Dinner lacked the usual conversation. The atmosphere was tense and heavy. Neither quite knew what to say. It wasn't until they were both staring down at their empty plates that they found the courage to speak at the exact same time.

"I was wondering if—"

"Can we talk about—"

"You first," Blake insisted, ever the gentleman.

Stevie took a deep breath before she began. "I'm sorry about last week. I definitely feel like I rushed us into sex before we were truly ready. I guess I just thought that sex would come as naturally as everything else has."

"I'm sorry too. I was worried about too many other things to really stay in the moment. I also wasn't good about asking what you wanted." He paused, then timidly asked, "So we're not breaking up over this?"

"No," Stevie replied firmly. "We're just going to have to take it slow and do a lot of experimenting."

"I like the experimenting bit," he said, a shy but mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

She grinned and took his hand, leading him to the couch. "Better get started."

* * *

So I've changed the status from complete to in-progress because I've decided to officially make this a multi-chapter fic. Yay? I think? I have a semi-functional outline. The bad news is that means a higher potential for hiatus. Hopefully I can keep my motivated streak going, though, and finish this over summer break.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for your reviews! Keep them coming! Now that I'm out of school, I should have time to actually respond to them.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Stevie lied awake in her bed late that night thinking about how her whole life was about to change drastically. The next day was Memorial Day; the day her mother planned on announcing her run for president. The whole family was driving up to the farmhouse the next morning, and the camera crew was set to arrive at noon. From there, her mother and her staff were embarking on the first cross country trip of the campaign. The rest of her family planned on staying in D.C. and continuing with life as usual. As excited as she was for her mother, her heart felt heavy because it meant that she wouldn't be in the same state as Blake for a whole month. Each day, she felt their relationship grow stronger, but was it strong enough to withstand being long-distance?

A buzz from her phone stopped her train of thoughts. She smiled when she saw who it was from. "Is your family home?"

"Yes, but they're asleep (besides some gross noises coming from my parents' room). Why?"

"I'm on your front porch, and the DS agents are starting to give me funny looks."

Stevie raced down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. She flung open the door and then flung herself into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to say goodbye before tomorrow. In a way, it feels like the world is ending, but only because a new one is beginning. Everything is going to change. I'm not going to see you again until July," Blake said, his voice a little choked up. "I'm going to miss you so much."

Stevie wrapped her arms around him tighter as if he might slip away that moment if she didn't hold on hard enough. "I'm going to miss you too. Promise to text and call?"

"Of course. Every day, if I can." Blake paused for a beat. He hooked a finger under her chin, drawing her gaze up to his. Her eyes were cool and blue; his eyes were warm and brown. Both were filled with unspoken emotion. "Stevie, there's another reason I came tonight." His bottom lip quivered as he said, "I love you."

She let out a soft gasp. "I love you too."

"I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving without saying that first," he admitted. A heaviness settled over them. Why was it that no sooner had they fallen in love that they were being pulled apart?

Suddenly, Stevie grabbed his sleeve and began to drag him inside.

"What are you doing?" He hissed as he stumbled through her dark house.

"If this is the last night of the world, then I want to spend it with you."

* * *

Blake stirred awake. The first thing he noticed was that he was completely naked. The next thing he noticed was that he was lying next to a sleeping beauty. Memories from the night prior flooded back to him. "Shit!"

Stevie startled awake. "What's wrong?"

"All my stuff is still at my place! And I'm still at your place!"

She glanced over at the clock. "You can grab your stuff and still be on time if you leave now." She rolled out of bed and threw on the first pair of shorts she could find and the shirt she had haphazardly discarded the night prior. Following suit, he donned the now-wrinkled button up and pants from the height before, not bothering to tuck in the shirt. He was about to put on his shoes, but she stopped him.

"It's quieter if you wear socks." She poked her head out the door to check the hallway. "Coast is clear." They crept across the carpet to the top of the stairs, mindful that only the closed bedroom doors separated them from the rest of the family. "The third one down and the first step creaks. Stay close to the wall in case anyone is in the kitchen." Blake nodded and followed her lead. Once they reached the bottom, Stevie told him to wait as she did a quick check of the kitchen and living room. "Okay, you're pretty much home free. Just make sure the outer door doesn't slam." They scurried across the kitchen and almost made it to the door.

"When I said we should get an early start, I didn't mean that you had to be here the night before." Both whipped around to see Elizabeth standing at the stop of the staircase.

"Ma'am, I can explain." He held his hands up, ready to make a confession.

Stevie stepped in front of him. "Whatever you do, don't get mad at Blake. I was the one who started it."

"Hey, babe. There you are. Ready for the big day?" Henry appeared behind his wife. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to her neck, oblivious to the scene unfolding below them.

Somewhere behind him came Allison's voice. "Mom? Stevie? Do one of you have my hair dryer?"

Stevie and Blake exchanged a glance. This was his chance to escape. He stealthily backing away towards the front door.

"Hey Blake. What are you doing here?" Jason strolled into the kitchen from his bedroom, still in his pajamas. Before he could respond, a piercing whistle cut through the chaos.

"Stevie? Blake? Care to explain yourselves?" Elizabeth looked down expectantly at the two.

"We've been… seeing each other," Blake said cautiously

"I think you've been doing more than that," Henry commented. They both blushed fiercely.

"We'll talk more about this later," Elizabeth said. "Just don't be late for pickup."

"Yes ma'am." A little awkwardly, he turned to Stevie and quickly kissed her cheek. "Bye. Love you."

"Love you too."

No McCord moved a muscle until the front door was completely closed and his footsteps had faded away.

"Oh. My. God." Ali raced down the stairs, still in her robe and face mask on. I've shipping the two of you since like forever!" she squealed and threw her arms around her sister.

"Thanks. And I do have your hairdryer, by the way."

* * *

A half hour later, Elizabeth's detail arrived at the first stop on their pickup route, Mike B's apartment. He was standing on his front step, sun glasses on his face, briefcase in his hand. Without even waiting for the car to stop, he was already opening the door.

"Morning, Bess. Ready for the big day?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"You seem distracted. What's up with the goofy grin?"

"Apparently Blake and Stevie are a thing."

"Bess, that's old news."

"Wait, you knew about this?" she asked in an accusatory tone.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Of course, I do."

"And you didn't tell me?"

He was spared from her interrogation as they pulled up to their second stop: Blake's apartment. Avoiding all eye contact, he loaded his suitcase into the trunk and crawled into the back row of seats.

"About this morning…" Elizabeth started.

"Ma'am, I'm terribly sorry. I am mortified on so many levels, you can't even imagine. Just please don't fire me."

Mike snorted. "You're gonna have to get over that if you want to make it in Washington, kiddo." Elizabeth elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't be sorry. It's a bit surprising, but I'm really happy for the both of you. Just don't break her heart."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

This chapter is definitely fluff before the angst of next chapter, hehe

Also, next chapter is pretty much all I have planned out and then a huge time gap between that and the last chapter, so I'm putting y'all on a small hiatus alert. Feel free to let me know if there's something you'd like to see in this fic to fill in the time, and maybe it will spark my creativity.


	5. Chapter 5

I am so sorry this chapter has tons of page breaks. I wanted to capture a bunch of 30-45 second conversations, so now the formatting is ugly.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

At the end of her third week on the campaign, Henry's heart was feeling heavy. She was scheduled to speak at a rally in Philadelphia, a little under a three hour drive away. Yet so close and yet so far. It made no difference that they had been further apart for longer stretches of time. Life seemed duller without her by his side. He yearned to hold her in his arms and show her how much he loved her, but he had to settle for blowing a kiss through the speaker on his phone. Stevie, too, was suffering from a lovesickness. Though they spoke every day, she still missed Blake so much that her heart hurt. It was like a part of her was lost. She had the freezer door wide open, the air cooling her skin as she searched for something to fill the void in the pit of her stomach.

"The two of you are completely pathetic, moping around," Jason said unsympathetically as he walked through the kitchen. Henry sighed and shared a glance with his eldest.

"He's not wrong," Stevie said as she closed the freezer door. "We're pretty pathetic."

Henry simply nodded, a distant and wistful expression on his face. Suddenly he leapt up. "Stevie, want to take a drive?"

"Where?"

"Philadelphia."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"It's Friday night. They get in tonight, they'll be around all Saturday and at least part of Sunday."

"Let's go."

* * *

As they passed through Delaware, Stevie asked, "Is this how it was for you and Mom when you were in the Marines?"

"Kind of, yeah."

She let out a half sob as tears started to flow down her cheeks. "It totally blows. I just want to be with him, you know? He's literally been right there for the past five years, but we didn't do anything until now. How could I have been so blind? And now that we're together, he has to travel around the country with Mom. It feels so unfair."

"In the words of Shakespeare, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.' Or, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'" He put a hand on her knee. "Mom and I got through it. I have faith that you'll get through it, too."

She sniffled. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

Elizabeth slowly made her way to her hotel room. Absolutely everything ached. Since the announcement, they had been going almost nonstop. Every evening was a new place. At first, it had been exciting. Now, it was simply exhausting. She missed sleep, DC, and, most of all, her family. The only thing that had kept her going the past few days were the nightly phone calls to Henry. How she missed him. He was often in her dreams. In a way, it was comforting, but it only ensured that every morning started with a disappointing reality.

Her phone rang. _Speaking of_, she thought and answered it. "Hey, babe."

"Open up your door," he said. Anticipation hammered at her breastbone. She opened the door, and there stood her husband with a goofy smile on his face. "Get in here, you beautiful man."

* * *

Blake was trying his best to not freak out. Stevie hadn't answered his call. He deduced that this meant one of two things: Either she was ghosting him or she was dead. Pacing the floor, he deliberated on whether he should ask the secretary for her daughter's. There was no need, however, because at that moment she knocked upon his door.

"Hey," Stevie greeted him with a dazzling smile. He collapsed into her arms and immediately began to cry. She cradled him against his body, stroking his hair in a soothing but concerned rhythm. "Blake, what's wrong?"

"It's just been a tough few weeks. And then you didn't answer my call so I thought you had either decided that this wasn't worth it and you were ghosting me or that you were dead in a ditch somewhere and I know that neither of these thoughts are rational but I'm just—"

"Breathe," she interrupted him. "I'm here. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Elizabeth lied atop her husband's chest, drawing small circles on his bare shoulder. "You know, I was really scared when Stevie got engaged to Jareth. Looking back, I think it was my intuition telling me that something wasn't right. They're not engaged, obviously, but this time around I'm more excited for her than scared."

"Me too," Henry replied, a deep rumble in his chest. "I think he's 'the one' for her."

* * *

Stevie awoke to the rustling in clothing. Rolling over to her stomach, she groaned into the pillow. "Is it morning already?"

"I'm afraid so," Blake said as he sat down on the mattress next to her. "I'm glad you came," he whispered against her skin, bowing down to press kisses to her exposed back.

She let out a soft sigh, rolling on to her back. "Don't start something you can't finish."

He was about to say when someone banged at the door. "Rise and shine, lover boy." It was Jay. "We have to leave in 10."

"Be there in a minute," Blake called as Stevie giggled.

"'Lover boy?'"

He rolled his eyes. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

* * *

This chapter is a bit of a disaster, lol, but I didn't know how to make it better so it got posted as is.

Okay, so y'all have a choice! Would you like to read about the press running an article about them and dealing with that or a fourth of July dinner with the McCords? I have more of the dinner written, but I'm feeling more energized about the press story. They'll probably be ready in the same amount of time. Let me know what you think and which one you want to hear about first in the reviews! Thanks for sticking with this.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry this is a little late, I totally meant to have this up by Sunday. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"I need to speak to you," Daisy pulled Elizabeth aside moments before the rally. "There's been an article published about your daughter's love life as we feared. It's not getting a ton of hits, but it's on a relatively popular gossip site."

"We don't respond. Stevie knew it was a possibility," Elizabeth said. She sounded calm enough on the outside, but on the inside she was furious that people were coming after her family. Why was it, that even in the 21st century, women were judged for their dating history while men were applauded?

Daisy interrupted her internal feminist monologue. "That's not why I wanted to talk to you. This one has photos of all the relationships. Each one has an unflattering title and generally unfounded speculation. Are you aware—"

"That Blake and Stevie are dating? Yes, of course. And I approve whole-heartedly."

Despite this, she looked pained. "That's part of the problem. This article inspired another article focused on Blake. It's borderline slander."

"Bess, it's go time." Mike grabbed her elbow and started dragging her towards the stage.

"We'll talk after, but for now we'll treat this like any other tabloid. No comment, wait for it to die down."

* * *

"Stevie!" She jumped, startled. "My office! Now!" Russell barked.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

He let out a dry laugh. "You should know better than to ask me that by now."

Stevie considered her words. "How can I help you?"

"You can help me…" he started and immediately Stevie knew she was about to be on the wrong end of a rant from the scratchy quality his voice took on, "...by not following your goddamn heart! First you date your boss, then it's on to the president's son. I was really hoping that the British guy was going to work out, but no. You had to fall in love with Dmi— Alexander. A guy, who, by the way, almost broke your parents' marriage." A chill of surprise ran through her. What did Alexander have to do with her parents' marriage? Meanwhile, Russell was still shouting himself hoarse. "Now I'm hearing that you're with your mom's ex-assistant from some trashy news outlet! This better not impact the polls. Why can't you just be like every other single kid your age and just use Tinder or whatever?"

"I need to go," Stevie said in an unusually soft voice. So many emotions were running through her it felt like she would explode at any moment. Without his approval or dismissal, she left the office early for the first time.

* * *

"You okay? You're looking a little green around the gills," Jay said, gently taking the tablet from his hands. Blake shook his head. The article left him feeling nauseated. It alleged that the relationship had come about through some set up orchestrated by the secretary herself. According to the authors, he had stated dating Stevie in order to remain on the staff through the campaign. There were several not-so-subtle implications that Elizabeth was controlling, Stevie was promiscuous, and Blake was desperate. All of this was topped off with some blatant biphobia. In the end, he wasn't sure who should be most offended by the accusations: Elizabeth, Stevie, or himself.

"We can't respond to crap like that; it would only add fuel to the fire. No need to get involved in something petty this early in the campaign. Let's just get back to the hotel," Elizabeth suggested.

The walk from the convention center to the cars wasn't far, but it was swamped with nosy reporters and citizens that were shouting questions at them. Some were tame.

"Mr. Moran, care to comment on the recent article published about you and Stephanie McCord?"

"Secretary McCord, what do you have to say about the fact that your daughter is dating a member of your staff?"

Others were less so.

"Your daughter's a slut!"

"You're a slut!"

"Keep it together," Mike whispered to Elizabeth. "It's not worth it."

They were only a few paces away from the cars, when one particularly boisterous onlooker shouted, "What's it like to have Stevie McCord as a booty call?"

"She is not a booty call! She's a lot more than that," Blake exploded, turning to face the peanut gallery. "She is intelligent and beautiful and kind, and I love her!"

"Thank you for coming, feel free to contact us if you have any questions," Daisy skillfully butted in, allowing the rest of the group time to get into the cars.

"I apologize for my outburst, ma'am."

"If you hadn't said something, I would have decked that asshole. So I really should be thanking you."

* * *

Henry glanced up from his work when the front door slammed behind Stevie. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming home early." Upon seeing the tears welling in her eyes, his easy smile dropped. "What's wrong?"

She sighed, dumping her bag and kicking her shoes off (almost exactly the way her mother did). "I'm really sorry about… my love life. I know you guys haven't approved of a lot of the guys I've dated, but I didn't realize how much it hurt you."

"Sweetie, what in the world are you talking about?" He led her to the couch, and she curled up into his side. "Sometimes we're sad when we see you with someone that's not worthy of you. You deserve someone who loves you as much as we do."

"Russell mentioned something about how Alexander almost 'broke your marriage.' Is that true?"

Though she couldn't see his face, she sensed his whole demeanor darken as he pulled her closer. "Your mother and I have had our ups and downs. We fight sometimes. You know that. It is true that we had a fight about a decision that was made about him. It was a pretty big fight, actually. But we made it through."

Stevie didn't quite know what to do with that information yet. It would take time to process. Instead, she figured it was better to focus on the present than dwell on the past. "You both like Blake okay though, right?"

"Definitely. We love him like family."

* * *

I kinda just started running with the press story, and then it started to get out of control. I had to chop it in halp, so this is just the first half of the whole press story plot point. Expect another update on it soon! Also, for clarification, I didn't mean for it to sound like it was either the press story or the 4th of July- they're both going to happen. At this point, it looks like 4th of July is going to be chapter 8. I've got a chapter 9 planned out, but not a whole lot after that. Keep sending me ideas! They help a lot.

Thank you all for your continued reviews and support!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hey babe," Henry answered his phone with a soft smile.

"Hey." Elizabeth flopped back on her hotel bed. "How is Stevie holding up?"

"I think she's okay. She tried to apologize to me about her dating history—"

"Oh no!"

"Yeah. Apparently, Russell told her that Dmitri almost broke our marriage."

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat for a moment before she asked, "What did you end up telling her?"

"I told her that we did fight about him, but we're okay. Also that she should never apologize about her love life."

"All I want is for her to be happy. I want her to find someone that deserves her. Someone that cherishes her," she said.

"Me too," he replied. "Do you think Blake is that person?"

"I certainly think he might be."

* * *

The campaign checked out of the hotel the next morning. The lobby was mostly empty, besides a few early birds heading off to the buffet. There was also a small cluster of committed reporters that had staked out all night to catch a glimpse of the team as they headed off. While most of the reporters kept their distance with the intention of taking photos or video clips, one approached the group, thrusting a microphone directly into Blake's face. A cameraperson loomed over the reporter's shoulder, the red light indicating that they were rolling.

"Mr. Moran, I have a question for you."

Blake suppressed a sigh and plastered a smile on his face. "Yes?"

"How can you claim to be a part of the LGBT+ community when you're dating a woman?"

"Get lost," Mike stepped between them, but Kat held him back.

"It's okay," she said. "He's got it."

And "got it" Blake did. Without pausing for a beat, he replied, "My relationships can't define my sexuality. Dating a woman doesn't make me straight any more than dating a man doesn't make me gay."

"How come you can't just pick one?"

"I have picked one. I'm bi."

"But—"

"But nothing," Blake cut in. "I'm not 50% straight or 50% gay. I'm 100% bisexual." Without giving the reporter time to respond, he turned with a healthy dose of sass and strode away.

* * *

Somewhere in rural Pennsylvania, among the seemingly endless fields of corn and cows, Daisy suddenly exclaimed, "Thank God! I finally have service again!"

"Someone's popular," Jay noted as her various electronics started to vibrate and ring, signaling an influx of missed notifications.

"Lucky," Matt grumbled.

"They're not about me," she said excitedly as she passed the tablet up a row to Blake. "You're #1 trending on Twitter!"

Blake scrolled through the feed. Most of it was retweets with a clip of the interview and the hashtag "100PercentBisexual." Others were users sharing their experiences with biphobia. His favorite, though, was a tweet from a high school student. It read, "Thanks BlakeMoran for standing up against biphobia. You've inspired me to come out and fight back against prejudice, stereotypes, and bigotry." Out of curiosity, he logged into his own personal account. Within the past few hours, his measly 20-ish follows from friends and family had skyrocketed to just over a thousand friend requests and climbing. "This is…" He couldn't quite find the right words.

"Amazing? Awesome? Wicked?" Kat offered. "You best it is! I just checked RedBubble, and someone's already designed a sticker. I just ordered one for my laptop."

Blake's phone started ringing. His heart sank. It was Mike B. Cautiously, he answered. "Hello?"

"Dude, you've been turned into a gif! I gotta say, I really underestimated you, kiddo."

"Thanks," he replied, totally shocked that Mike B of all people was giving him a compliment (even if it was a backhanded one).

"MSec's polls have gone up, especially among millennials and the LGBT+ community. Good work! Don't get cocky, though. No interviews, and no comment. It was probably just beginner's luck."

"Copy that. If you'll excuse me, I've got an exploding social media account to manage."

* * *

"Stevie!" Ali called in a singsong voice. "Your boyfriend is trending on basically every social media site today!"

She grinned. "I know! I was just about to call him." Bringing the phone to her ear, she tapped on his number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey! How was the drive back to D.C.?"

"Not too bad. I miss you already." She paused. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Last night? That was amazing."

"No silly." Stevie tried to keep her squealing under control. "The fact that you're an internet sensation! You've gone completely viral."

"Oh. That." She could practically hear him blush.

"You're too modest for your own good. I'm so proud of you, baby."

"Baby?"

Now it was she who was blushing. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I like it." They chatted a bit, half-flirting and half-postponing the inevitable interruption which came sooner rather than later. "Sorry, baby. I gotta go. There's a staff meeting."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too. See you in a few weeks!"

* * *

Ugh sorry this update is late. I got distracted. I'm also aware that the quality of writing has taken a nosedive this chapter, but hopefully the next one will be alright. It's the 4th of July chapter, and I'm really excited to post it. However, I'm going to be out of town and I really want to make sure it's decently written so it might be a little bit before I post it. As always, I love seeing what you have to say in the reviews! I'll try to respond to more reviews, my email was acting up this time. I'm still trying to plan chapter 10 and beyond, and I love the ideas y'all have given me so far. Hopefully I'll be able to in-cooperate some of them. Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Here's the 4th of July chapter! Heads up, this comes with a TW for a panic attack and mention of PTSD.

Unrelated, I totally forgot that Blake had a cat when I started this fic but I rewatched an episode and he does! Anyone have cat name ideas?

* * *

**Chapter 8**

After an exhausting month on the campaign trail, the first week on July finally rolled around. They had filmed an ad that was set to launch that week which allowed them to take off the week from campaigning. Most of the team was taking the week to relax, spend time with family, and prepare for the next leg of their journey.

Blake, for one, was excited to see Stevie, but he was also incredibly nervous about dinner at her house. The dinner meant so much to him. It was a second chance at meeting the McCord family as Stevie's boyfriend. She had assured him many times that it was a low-key thing, that they already loved him despite the incident. That didn't stop him from stressing, though. He had picked out his outfit the night before (a pair of crips, dark blue jeans and a simply yet classy white button-up with the sleeves rolled up just so). In addition to putting slightly more product in his hair than normal, he also used a touch of cologne that he only used for the fanciest of occasions.

In his head, Blake had rehearsed how the evening would go and how he would once again win over the hearts of the McCords. It would start with a firm handshake with Dr. McCord, then greeting Stevie with a kiss on her cheek. He would then hand the bottle of wine he brought to Elizabeth. He would tell jokes that made everyone laugh, engage in discussions about fashion with Allison and politics with Jason. Then, after dinner, he would perform a medley of patriotic tunes on their baby grand. At the end of the night, they'd go out to the backyard to watch the fireworks, and he slip an arm around Stevie, telling her how beautiful she looked...

The alarm on his phone buzzed, telling him that it was time to go. With one last glance in the mirror and a steadying breath, he headed towards the door.

"Wish me luck," he said to his cat.

The cat took a break from licking his paw to say "Meow."

* * *

"Blake! Perfect timing. I'm just about to start grilling," Dr. McCord said. "Please, come in."

"Thank you, Dr. McCord," Blake said, offering his hand. Instead, he was wrapped in a hug with some friendly thumps on his back.

"Blake, please, call me Henry," Dr. McCord said, even though he had said that many times and Blake still insisted to address him with his title. Elizabeth appeared behind him, also offering a hug. He handed her the wine, which she poured at the dinner to accompany the perfectly grilled burgers (three beef burgers and three black bean burgers). Blake made conversation with Ali about the latest runway trends, with Jason about the ethics of anarchy, and even with Dr. McCord about the influence of religion on politics, all while keeping his fingers intertwined with Stevie's under the table. When they finished eating, it was still a good half-hour before the fireworks were scheduled to begin, so he entertained the McCords with his singing and playing skills. Afterward, the sun had set, the popcorn was popped, and they were all on the back porch, waiting for the firework show to start. Stevie leaned against him, golden hair brushing his chin. It sufficed to say that the evening was going very much to plan.

"You look beautiful," Blake murmured softly enough so that no one else could hear it and low enough to make her blush. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the first firework. The blood drained from her face.

"I think I need to go inside," Stevie said, voice trembling. It was subtle, but it was a tone he recognized from her mother, one that often preceded a panic attack. She darted back into the house. After checking that everyone else was distracted by the firework display, Blake slipped in after her.

Stevie was curled up in a ball on the couch, her shoulders shaking. He sat down next to her and draped a blanket over her. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight.

"You're safe," he said as calmly as he could. "It's just the fireworks."

"I know," she said bitterly. "I hate that I'm so freaked out by them. Since the bombing, loud noises are a trigger for me."

"Do you have medication that I can get you?"

"I don't want it."

"Your mother always says the same thing. Is there anything I can do?"

"Hold me," she said and crawled into his lap. He couldn't say no to that. They were quiet, besides Blake's occasional encouragement to take slow, deep breaths. Eventually, Stevie settled against his chest limply. Her hands still trembled slightly, but that was mostly likely from the excess adrenaline in her veins than the panic.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"It's stupid."

"No, it isn't. You went through a traumatic experience, and the fireworks reminded you of it. There's nothing stupid about that."

"Thanks," she said like she knew he believe it but couldn't quite get herself to do the same.

"There you are!" Elizabeth walked in. "I was wondering where you too went." She rounded the corner to the living room, and her bright smile dropped. "Oh, sweetheart. Was it the fireworks?"

Stevie nodded. "Yeah, but I'm fine now."

"You can go to bed, if you want. You look exhausted."

"I should get going soon anyway," Blake added.

"Stay." She tightened her hold on his shirt. "Please." Blake looked up hopelessly at Elizabeth who just smiled.

"I'm sure Henry would be happy to lend you something to sleep in."

* * *

Blake turned off the light and settled next to Stevie. She rolled to face him and snuggled into his chest. His heart ballooned with warmth and a fierce sense of protection.

"Sleep. I'll be right here if you need anything," he promised.

"Thank you."

* * *

Also, fair warning that the pace of updates will probably slow down as I'm running out of ideas. There's a solid year of their relationship that I just don't have any ideas for, but I'm also not ready for this fic to end so idk what will happen with that. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed! Don't forget to review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The week seemed to go by too quickly. Before they knew it, they were saying their goodbyes again. This time, it was in Blake's apartment where that had spent the night prior.

"We'll see each other again soon," Stevie promised as she held him pack up his bag.

Blake groaned. "Not soon enough. We're going out West, so we'll be on the completely wrong side of the country for the next two months!" She didn't say anything in response, but wrapped herself around him, savoring their last moments of intimacy. A buzz from his phone jolted then apart.

"Five-minute warning?" She guessed.

"Yeah." He gave a sad half smile as a nonverbal apology. Stevie sniffled, and they both pretended not to notice.

"I wanted to give you this." Blake pulled out a spare key to his apartment from his pocket. "You're welcome to stay here whenever you want."

"Thank you."

"And if it's not too much to ask, would you mind taking care of Millie? My neighbors were doing it, but they just had a baby, so they've got their hands full…"

"Of course."

* * *

For the first week, she went twice a day to feed Millie and play with her for a bit. During the second week, Stevie started to linger. It was a nice place to have some peace and quiet during the week, and it helped her to feel close to Blake. Sometime in the third week, she caught herself dozing off on his couch while wearing one of his sweatshirts. After a month, she left a spare toothbrush and a change of clothes so she could spend the night there if it got too late. She told her family that it was a matter of convenience, that his apartment was closer to the White House than their home, but they all knew that was a lie.

After one exhausting week, Stevie slunk up to her room for a long shower and an equally long nap.

Henry intercepted her on the stairs. "Hey there, stranger! Does Blake know you've moved into his apartment?"

"I haven't moved in, I've just spent—"

"The last week there, and at least the work week there for the past 2 weeks."

"I've been looking after his cat," she tried half-heartedly, knowing that it was a flimsy defense.

"It's okay, Stevie. We're really happy for you," he said.

"Thanks, Dad." She gave him a quick hug, then went up the last few steps. When he was sure she was out of earshot, Henry plopped himself down where he was and failed his wife.

"Hey! What's going on?" Elizabeth picked up with a singsong voice. Henry tried to respond, but a small sob came out instead. "Baby, what's wrong?" Now she sounded worried. That isn't what he wanted.

"It's nothing—well not nothing. I'm fine."

"What's going on?"

"Stevie's moved into Blake's apartment."

He heard her sigh on the other side. "I guess we always knew it would happen eventually."

"Yeah. And I'm happy for her. I really am. But I'm sad for us," Henry admitted with a sniffle.

"Me too," she whispered back. Her voice was hoarse, and he could tell she was as close to crying as she was. "Our baby is all grown up now."

"She's really leaving us," Henry said as his tears began to fall.

"Dad?" Stevie saw him sitting on the stairs as she was going down to the kitchen to get a drink.

"Hi honey!" Henry quickly wiped his tears away, but not quick enough.

Stevie sat down next to him and took his hand. "Dad, I'm not leaving. Yeah, I'm moving into Blake's, hopefully officially, but even still, I'll be right around the corner. We'll come over for dinner once a week."

"That better be a promise!" Elizabeth shouted through the phone.

Stevie laughed. "I promise." She turned to hug her dad. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, baby."

* * *

A/N: So sorry for the unintentional hiatus. I was really stuck on this chapter, and that's why it's super short. I felt like I just had to post something to get past it, so I'm sorry if it sounds a little forced/awkward with the speaking. Anyway I've got a plan for the next chapter, so hopefully that update will take me less than a month, lol.

As always, let me know what you thought in the reviews! Let me know if y'all are okay with a few months time leap.

For the anon review- I'm glad you like my writing, but if you hate the pairing, you don't have to read the story. Also, it's really not nice to call Stevie a hoe. Yeah, she's slept with more people than average, but that doesn't make her any less worthy of Blake's love.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Slowly but surely, the hot summer sun set earlier and earlier each day, and by the last week of August, the heat was beginning to ease as autumn awaited in September. At least, that was the case in D.C. The same could not be said of Phoenix, Arizona. Blake wiped his forehead with his pocket square. As much as it pained him to get sweat on the fabric, it was necessary for him to not look completely gross at the first debate in one of the most competitive districts in the nation.

"Oh my God. How do people even live here?" Daisy complained. Matt groaned in agreement as he chugged another bottle of water.

"You get used to it," Kat replied. She was the only one who didn't seem to be affected by the heat because she had grown up in a similar climate.

"It's a dry heat," Jay said rather unhelpfully as he fanned himself with a policy folder. Judging by the sweat stains appearing on his shirt, his time in Atlanta hadn't prepared him for this.

"Blake?" Elizabeth asked frantically as she rushed out of the changing room. "Do I look as gross as I feel?" Her hair was clinging to her temples, and her cheeks had a dehydrated flush to them.

"Glowing at best, a little shiny at worst."

She let out a sharp laugh. "No one's told me that I'm glowing since I was pregnant. I guess shiny isn't that bad."

"I wouldn't worry about that. You're the only major player running as an independent, so you'll outshine them all no matter what." Mike thumped her on the back. "I'm hoping we'll see a major spike in polls afterward. Then we can get out of this hellhole."

_And back to D.C._ Blake thought. This was the last stop on their trip to the West/Southwest, and they had the last few days of August as well as Memorial Day to themselves after a difficult two months on the campaign trail.

* * *

They landed at Reagan in the late afternoon. The McCords were standing in a cluster outside of the security checkpoint. Henry, Alison, and Jason all went to Elizabeth, but Stevie strayed and ran towards Blake. As exhausted as he was, he couldn't help but to light up when he saw her. Dropping his bags to the ground, he held out his arms to her. Stevie stood up on her tiptoes, and Blake ducked down. Eyes shut as lips met, and the moment he had waited for was finally coming to pass. It was the kiss he had been dreaming of but better. It was over much too quickly for his heart, but not his lungs.

Blake wished he could have told her how he much he missed her, how much she felt like home, how beautiful she was with her pupils blown dark, but all that came out was a breathless, "Hi."

"Hey," Stevie said, and dragged him down to her by his collar for another passionate lip-lock.

"Ahem," Elizabeth cleared her throat. "I believe I need a welcome home too." They broke apart, and Stevie hugged her mother.

"Sorry, Mom. I missed you too."

"Speaking of which," Henry said, stepping up to them, "we're having a welcome home dinner with the family, and we'd really appreciate it if you were there."

"Can Blake join?" Stevie nearly begged, using her bright-blue puppy eyes to their full advantage.

"Sure. We'd love to have him," Elizabeth said. Stevie hugged her again as a thank you. Jason made a gagging face behind her, and Alison shoved him.

"Thanks! I'll just stop by my place to drop my stuff off and shower and then I'll be right over," Blake said.

After dinner, the McCords bid their goodnights and headed upstairs one by one until only Stevie and Blake were left in the living room. He was reclined on the couch, she was leaning against him, each had a half-full glass of wine. Neither wanted to call the night. With such limited time together, sleeping seemed like such a waste.

"Stay tonight?" Stevie punctuated her request with a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"Of course. Speaking of staying places, I noticed there's a new toothbrush in my bathroom. And a new hairbrush. And some new clothes in the closet…" he teased.

Stevie blushed. "About that… I've kind of been spending the night at your place. A lot. Is that okay?"

"Of course, I was actually going to talk to you about moving in when I got back anyway," he said. They discussed various pros and cons, as well as practical issues such as rent and concluded that Stevie would move in with him.

"I guess this is one of my last nights here, then." She sounded nostalgic.

"I guess we should make the best of it," he said with a grin and chased her up the stairs.

Stevie was lying on her stomach on her bed as she waited for Blake to return from using the bathroom down the hall.

Allison knocked on the door frame (courtesy, as the door was already open). "I just wanted to offer you need extra condoms, if you need."

"No, Ali, we're fine." Stevie rolled her eyes, though it was sweet her little sister was looking out for her. "I still have the IUD from when I was with Jarreth."

At that exact moment, Jason walked by. "Hey, uh, could you try to keep it down and not be too gross? We already have Mom and Dad to deal with."

Stevie chucked a pillow at him, but he ducked out of the way and darted towards his room. Unfortunately for Blake who had just returned from the bathroom, the pillow smacked him square in the face. Stevie covered her mouth, somewhere between laughing and horrified. "I'm so sorry!"

"You want a pillow fight? It's so on!" Blake said, raising the pillow above his head and tackling her to the bed. They were lost in a fit of giggles and bliss.

"I'm leaving now," Allison said, mostly to herself, and awkwardly closed the door for them. She put some earbuds in and turned up the music. Sometimes sharing a wall with an older sibling really sucked.

* * *

A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed this update even thought it's mostly just fluff (and foreshadowing). As always, I love to hear what you thought in the reviews!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The alarm shrieked at 6:00 as it had every weekday morning since the beginning of her internship. And yet, for some reason, Stevie rolled over to check the time. Upon seeing the glowing digital numbers, she groaned and slapped the snooze button. Silence filled the room once again, and suddenly Stevie wished the alarm were still beeping because the stillness reminded her that Blake wasn't there. Unable to stand the heavy darkness, she stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Her shower must have been longer than normal because she was already running late. Making her way back to the bedroom, she grabbed the first clothes she saw, which happened to be the same pair of pants and bra that she had worn the day before, as well as a nice enough sweater. She struggled to fasten the button on her pants, cursing the bloating that must have been from last night's popcorn-romcom-and-ice cream pity fest. The bra was somehow even more of a struggle as the underwire stabbed into her soft flesh.

"Ouch," she groaned, rubbing her breasts. They seemed excessively heavy and sensitive. A quick glance at the calendar confirmed her suspicions: Her period was approaching. Since getting her IUD, her flow had been significantly lighter, almost nonexistent, but almost everything else was the same: the bloating, the mood swings, and the wretched cramps. With a sigh, Stevie grabbed her purse and coffee as she went off to work.

That evening, Blake called. He looked like himself for the most part except that his gravity-defying locks were beginning to droop, and his impeccable shirt creases were beginning to wrinkle. He seemed cheery enough, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed the amount of sleep he hadn't gotten. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good. I just miss you a lot," Stevie said, voice cracking. Wait, why she crying? That was completely uncalled for. He had only been gone two weeks.

His smile dropped instantly. "Baby…"

"I'm fine," she insisted and wiped away the tears.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Blake asked in a soft, comforting tone.

"It was just a bad day. Lots of Russell Jackson yelling, and I just feel kinda crappy."

"I love you. Take care of yourself, alright?"

"Will do. Love you too."

* * *

A week and a half later, when her PMS hadn't gone away, Stevie started to worry. She'd had a pregnancy scare with Jarreth, and that was what had led her to get an IUD. Despite their very low failure rate, it was still a possibility. She curled into bed and tried to come up with a plan.

Her phone rang. It was Blake. At pretty much any other moment, she would have picked it up before the second ring, but she froze. How was she supposed to tell him? What would they do if she were actually pregnant? She couldn't lie to his face, but she couldn't tell him the truth, either. The call went to voicemail, and she exhaled in relief. Moments later, her phone let out a single buzz. It was Blake again. Stevie put it on silent. Flopping back onto the bed, she shut her eyes and tried to reason with herself.

She wasn't pregnant. Right?

But… she had been having some symptoms. Right?

But… that wasn't a problem because she couldn't have been pregnant. Right?

But… it couldn't hurt to take a test, just to be sure. Right?

Right.

Stevie sat up and grabbed her planner. She flipped back to Labor Day, then calculated four weeks later. That was at the beginning of the next week, so she circled the date and resolved to buy a test if she wasn't feeling better. She grabbed her phone to set a reminder, and all of Blake's texts came through.

9:40: Hey! Call me back if you get a chance.

9:51: Are you okay?

10:03: We're getting on the plane now, so talk tomorrow?

10:09: Night. Love you.

Guilt squeezed at her heart. She sent a half-hearted, "Sorry I missed you, got stuck at work. Love you and have a safe flight!" She went to sleep still feeling guilty.

* * *

Defeat weighed heavy in his heart as Blake settled into his seat. Very few people were on the flight, but he chose to sit near Elizabeth anyway.

"Ma'am, if you're awake, may I ask a slightly personal question?"

She pushed the sleep mask up to her forehead. "Sure."

"Is Stevie okay?"

"You would probably know better than I would, but she seems normal to me. Henry hasn't mentioned anything either." Elizabeth paused, then became visibly concerned. "Why? Is she not okay? Should I be worried?"

"No, I don't think so. It's just… she hasn't been answering my calls lately. When she does, she stays pretty quiet. And she's only given me one-word responses to a lot of texts,' he explained.

She patted his arm sympathetically. "If she were upset, she's let you know. One time, she didn't speak to me for three weeks. She's probably just busy, Blake. I wouldn't worry too much."

* * *

The date circled on her planner came and went, but her worry had transformed into denial until one evening when she found herself throwing up after catching a whiff of the burnt popcorn from the neighbors. Wearing her father's sweatshirt with the hood up, Stevie went to the nearest conscience store. For such a small establishment, it had a huge assortment at-home pregnancy tests. They all claimed to be "the best" in terms of accuracy or time, but she figured it wouldn't matter in the end, so she grabbed the cheapest one. The cashier was probably still in high school, his voice still cracked with higher notes and his skin still freckled with acne. He didn't seem to recognize her, but she paid in cash anyway, just to be safe.

Not wanting to stick around and wait for someone to recognize her, Stevie bolted home. She dumped the bag onto the bathroom counter and tore open the box. The little plastic stick tumbled out as well as the directions. After taking the test, she set a timer for five minutes.

Waiting was dreadful. For the first minute, she stared at the clock, willing time to speed up. When that became unbearably frustrating, she tried to count the number of floor tiles in the tiny room. At the one-hundred-and-forty-fourth tile, her phone rang. It startled her enough that she let out a yelp, but she picked it up anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." Blake's voice came through the speaker and her blood ran cold.

"Oh, hey," she said, trying to sound casual.

"Can we talk?"

She glanced at the timer. Still a minute and a half to go. "I can't talk for long, but what's going on?"

"Are you okay?"

She hesitated before replying, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are _we _okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? Because I'm kind of getting the feeling that you've been avoiding my calls and texts."

"I've been really busy," she lied.

"Look, if you want to tell me what's going on, then talk to me. If you want some space, just tell me," he snapped. "But don't ghost me!"

"I'm not ghosting you! It's just I—" The timer rang. "I have to go."

"Stevie, wait—" but she had already hung up.

With shaking hands, she turned over the plastic stick. There was only one thin line: Negative. Relief flooded her system as she collapsed to the floor and cried.

* * *

A/N: Welcome aboard The Angst Express. Anyway, I hope y'all liked this update! As always, let me know your thoughts/if you'd like to see anything in this fic. This plot point was suggest by an anon review, so I really do take them into consideration!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

A week later, Henry and Stevie were speeding to meet the McCord campaign in a tiny town in the rust belt. They had been driving in silence for the least hour, each caught up in their own thoughts.

Stevie was thinking about what she was going to tell Blake. "We're stopping by tonight," she texted Blake a few hours earlier. He replied with a simple "ok." Not "Okay," as he usually did on the rare occasions that he sent single word texts. That wasn't a great sign. Should she tell him everything? Would he be upset? Could they get through it? Her swirling thoughts were tying her stomach into knots.

She startled when Henry's hand came into contact with her knee. "You okay?" he asked. "I know you're grown up now, but you can still talk to us about anything."

Stevie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm nervous. I did something—or rather, I didn't do something—and I think he's upset. I didn't tell him something I should have, but I'm going to tell him today. Don't worry about it."

"Not worrying about it," Henry said, dropping the conversation even though he sounded sounded worried indeed.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel, it was late, but Blake and Elizabeth (and security detail) were waiting in the lobby for them.

"Hi," Blake greeted her coolly.

"Hi, babe." Stevie tried to sound more enthusiastic than she was. She hugged him, but he only returned it briefly and stiffly. When they parted, he refused to meet her gaze. Taking his hands, she said, "We should talk."

"Yeah. We should." Blake took his hands away from hers, turned his back, and headed towards the elevator. The doors opened before she got there, but he held it open for her. He was angry, but not so angry that he was ungentlemanly. Stevie hoped that was a positive sign that he would be open to at least hearing her out.

When they got to his room, he looked her in the eyes for the first time. She had never seen him so broken, so lost, so full of hurt.

"I thought we were on the same page, Stevie. I thought we were both serious about us," he said in a voice with a quiet venom.

"I am," she protested timidly.

"Are you?" Blake spat. "Recently, it hasn't felt that way." He spun away from her to face the wall. "I never told you this before, but my last relationship ended because he started cheating on me. He didn't even have the guts to tell me. He just… ghosted me. A month later, I looked at his Instagram. He has been with another man the whole time. The funny thing was, our whole relationship, _he_ was convinced _I _was going to cheat because I'm bi.

"I was absolutely devastated that he assumed I would be unfaithful because of my sexuality, but you know what I learned? Relationships fail because of doubt, and the only remedy for doubt is honest dialogue. So here's my piece of honesty for you: I feel afraid because it feels like you're giving up on that's something real between us. Once you give up on whatever's real in a relationship, the only thing that's left are lies.

"Listen. I understand being busy; I'm busy too. But being busy with work is different from being busy with secrets. I think there's something you're not telling me and that's why you've been avoiding me.

"For the love of God, be honest with me. Tell me what's going on. At the very least, tell me that _something_ is going on. Stop pretending like everything is fine so you can keep avoiding me."

Stevie felt very small in that moment. The speech she had planned on the drive over didn't make sense anymore. She couldn't justify how much she had pushed him away. But no matter how much she wanted to talk to him, tell him everything, explain the situation, and pour her heart out, no words came. Her mouth hung open, tongue and lips stubbornly still.

"I'll be fine with anything you say as long as you say _something_," he said with a desperate edge.

At that moment, pain so sharp she couldn't breathe or scream torn through her body. It was somewhere to the right of her bellybutton, almost in line with her hip bone. She mentally flashed back to Jason's appendicitis. Was that what was happening? Was that why she had felt ill all day? Was she going to die?

"Blake!" she cried out as her knees buckled. Falling to the ground, she caught herself on her hands.

He was too caught up in his rage to turn around and notice. "You're gonna have to say more than my name."

"Blake!" She tried to scream again, but all that came out was a pitiful whine as she started to bleed.

* * *

"Blake." She said his name so quietly the second time he almost missed it.

He turned around, fully prepared for some tearful apology. What he saw instead was out of a nightmare. Stevie was doubled over, hand clutching at her stomach, tears streaking down her cheeks. He rushed to her side, all his wrath forgotten. "What's wrong?"

"It hurts," she choked out between labored breaths. She slumped all the way to the ground in fetal position against his thigh to reveal a growing red stain on her pants that spilled onto the carpet.

"Oh my God. I'm calling an ambulance." He pulled out his phone and dialed.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"My girlfriend… it's my girlfriend. She's in a lot of pain, and she's bleeding."

"Okay, can you describe what's happening? Is she conscious?"

"We were talking, and then she just crumpled to the ground, but she's awake."

"Can you describe the bleeding? Is is from an external wound?"

"There's a lot of blood. She's really pale." He swallowed the bile that crawled up his throat. "She doesn't have a wound or anything. It's all over her pants."

"Is she pregnant?"

"No. She has an IUD."

"Alright. Let me know your address so I can dispatch the ambulance. Stay on the line with me and let me know if anything changes, alright?"

"Okay," he said, even though nothing was okay and did as he was asked.

"Help me," Stevie pleaded softly.

"Help is on the way. I'm right here, babe. You're gonna be okay." Blake said more as a prayer than a promise.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she croaked. "I didn't tell you."

"Hush, sweetheart. It's okay. You can tell me after you're better." He stroked her hair, helpless to do anything else. There was nothing he could do but wait. The red liquid was spreading by the second, seeping into his clothes. Stevie mumbled something, but it was unintelligible. Her eyes were no longer focused, her lashes were fluttering shut.

"Sir, are you still there?"

Blake picked the phone back up, but it was difficult because his hands were slippery from the blood. "Yes, but she's fading. She's not making any sense. There's too much blood. I don't know what to do."

"Ambulance is almost there. Just hold on, sir." And so he did. He held on to her limp body and fast-fading hope.

* * *

Someone started banging on the door. Elizabeth rolled over and groaned. Whoever it was was incredibly insistent. She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and reluctantly answered the door, expecting Mike B.

Instead, it was Blake, though he was considerably more bedraggled than she had ever seen him. He was sweating and out of breath as though he had run a marathon.

"What the hell happened?" Henry appeared behind Elizabeth and asked the question she was too shocked to.

"It's Stevie. She's… I don't know. There was just… she was…"

Henry grabbed his shoulders firmly but reassuringly. "Slow down. What's wrong?"

Blake gulped. "Stevie is going to the hospital. Thought you should know." And then he fainted.

* * *

A/N: I feel like Blake is usually a sweet baby until he snaps. This chapter was completely Rage Blake and Panic Blake, so let me know if it's too out of character. As always, I love to hear your thoughts in the reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

It had been hours. No, that didn't sound right. Minutes? Seconds? Blake didn't really know at this point. Time seemed to be suspended—in part because the hospital and no windows by which to reference the sky for relative time—since the last update on Stevie's condition which was "She's in emergency surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy. The Fallopian tube burst, and that caused a lot of bleeding, so she'll need a transfusion. She's critical, and it will be another few hours until we can give you another update. I'm sorry."

His heart dropped at those words and never quite stopped falling. It was like he was trapped in some sort of awful nightmare. Thousands of questions swirled around his mind. He feared that most of them had dreadful answers, so he didn't even try to find one. Instead he just replayed their last moments together on loop.

Why did he have to yell at her? Why couldn't have just let her speak? Why were his last words to her not the three most important ones?

Meanwhile, on the far side of the otherwise unoccupied waiting room, sat Henry and Elizabeth. Their hands were clasped fiercely together in silent support of one another. It seemed too soon after the bombing, not even a year later, to be in this situation again. But if Elizabeth had learned anything in the past five years of her life, it was that her family was strong, both as a unit and as individuals. Henry, for his part, had faith in hospitals (even ones that were in tiny towns in the rust belt), but he was still a nervous wreck.

"Maybe you should go talk to him," Elizabeth suggested softly. "It looks like he's beating himself up over something."

Henry glanced over at the young man. He looked absolutely pitiful, especially so considering that he hadn't fully regained his color after fainting.

"Blake?"

"Dr. McCord!" He startled.

"I know I say this every time you see me, but tonight, of all nights, call me Henry." He extended his hand and helped him up. "Let's take a walk."

Blake didn't feel that he had much of a choice, so he followed a few steps behind Henry. They followed the corridors of the hospital until they got to the front door. There was a small coffee shop that was closed, and beside it was a 24-hour convenience store.

"I'll get you a new shirt," Henry offered.

"Why would I need that?" Blake asked. Wordlessly, Henry pointed at his shirt. Blake and almost threw up when he saw the brown-blood stains on his once white button up. "Okay," he said in a weak voice. "I'll take the shirt. Thanks."

Henry waiting outside the restroom holding the door closed because it didn't lock while Blake changed. He tried to rub off as much blood as he could with just paper towels and hand soap, but some remained stubbornly under his nails.

That's when it really hit him, that Stevie could really die. She really could be dead, and he just didn't know it yet. Was the blood under his nails the last piece of her he had left? Was it wrong to be scrubbing it away? Nothing made sense anymore. Blake crumpled to the grimy floor and cried.

"Hey, kid. Are you okay in there?" Henry knocked on the door after a few minutes passed.

Blake thought about lying and saying yes, but he knew it would be so unbelievable that he shouldn't bother. "No."

"Can I come in?"

"I guess."

Henry sat down next to him and slung an arm around his shoulders. "On the drive over, Stevie mentioned that she was worried you were mad at her."

"I was. I was so angry and hurt that I didn't even notice that she was in pain. And now?" Blake's voice cracked as he started to cry again. "Now, I didn't know if I'll even get the chance to tell her that I'm sorry. I don't know if I'll get the chance to tell her that I love her no matter what it was that made her push me away."

"Guilt and blame are the enemies of love. Don't hold guilt in your heart, just apologize. Blame is unproductive at best and damaging at worst. You've got to work together to get past the problem," Henry said matter-of-factly. "Look, if I've learned anything in my 30 years of marriage, it's that 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' are two of the three most important things you can say."

Blake blew his nose thoroughly with some toilet paper. "What's the third?"

"For Elizabeth, it's 'I ordered Chinese food with extra dumplings.' I suspect Stevie's is something along the lines of, 'I made something vegan that actually tastes like food.'"

In spite of everything, they started to laugh.

* * *

"Ma'am?" A nurse approached the waiting room. "Stephanie is awake. I can take you to see her now. The other two can stop by when they get back." Elizabeth followed the nurse down the hall to the room.

Stevie looked too pale. "Hi Mom."

Elizabeth sat on the side of the bed and immediately started to fluff the pillows and adjust the blankets. "Hey, baby. How are you feeling?"

"I'm… okay. I guess. It's just all so hard to understand. They said I was about seven weeks and that the embryo was in my Fallopian tube. It got too big so it burst. The ovary is still intact, so my fertility wasn't impacted too much. So that's good. I guess. I know I should be upset, but honestly? I'm relieved that I'm not pregnant. Does that make me a bad person?" Stevie asked tearfully.

"No, sweetheart. Not at all," Elizabeth reassured her daughter. "When Dad was in the Marines, I had a similar thing happen. He came back because he had a week-long leave. A month and a half later, I started to feel… off. At first, I thought it was just really bad PMS until a few days later when I had the absolute worst period of my life. My OB/GYN at the time told me I had miscarried very early. I was pretty shocked because I didn't even know I had been pregnant, but I felt the same way you do. I was relieved. We were so young, and he was deployed, and I was alone. I wouldn't have known what to do. I don't even know if I would have kept the pregnancy."

"Thank you for telling me," Stevie whispered back.

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

She turned away to hide the guilt on her face. "I figured I was just being paranoid. I took a pregnancy test, and it was negative, so it didn't seem like something I needed to tell you. I didn't want to distract you or Blake."

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to feel guilty. "Baby, you are my daughter and not a distraction. No matter what my job is, I will _always_ be your mother first. I love you, Stevie."

"Love you too, Mom."

* * *

A/N: I am absolutely blown away by your responses to last chapter! I thought people were losing interest, lol. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter just as much. I promise they will talk next chapter.

As always, I greatly appreciate your reviews!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Blake couldn't decide whether he should smile or cry when he saw Stevie so he did a bit of both. He tried to think of something to say, "I love you" and "I'm sorry" both came to mind, but neither seemed to fit the moment.

Stevie beat him to the punch. "I guess my eggs aren't winners after all."

"...What?" That comment caught him off guard.

"Don't you remember? It was the first year mom was Secretary of State, and there was a lock down. We sat in her office and talked the whole day. I told you I tried to sell my eggs, but they rejected me because I wasn't a college grad. As I was leaving, you told me that I had 'winner eggs,'" Stevie recalled with a soft laugh.

Blake cracked a smile. "I love you." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm sorry for before. I lost my temper."

"And I'm sorry I wasn't honest," she sighed. "I didn't want you to worry; I figured I was just being paranoid. The doctor said the test came back negative because my IUD made my hormones appear normal."

"I'm just really glad you're okay. I was really scared." He squeezed her hand tighter. They were quiet for a while; both attempting to come to grips with what had happened.

"Blake?" Stevie spoke timidly. "I don't want to have kids. Biologically, anyway. Maybe adoption. I don't know. It's just the whole climate change thing… It feels wrong to bring children into a world we don't even know will be able to support them."

"Thank God. I thought I was the only one who felt that way." Blake let out a slow, even breath. "But maybe someday we could talk about adoption?"

"So… there will be a someday?" Stevie asked. Her words were sloppier and her sentences less coherent as she grew sleepy with the sedatives in her system.

"I'd like there to be, but we can talk later. Sleep, my love." He gave her a tender kiss and let her rest.

* * *

They decided that Stevie should stay with her family, at least for the first few days just in case. She protested only mildly, and that in itself spoke volumes about how run down she was. As much as Blake wanted to stay and take care of her, he and Elizabeth had a flight out that evening.

"Call me if you need anything, alright? You say the word, and I'll be on the first flight back." He squeezed her hand, his anxiety poorly hidden beneath soft words.

"Okay. Thanks."

"I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed him. "Don't worry about me."

He laughed. "Worrying is a symptom of loving. I couldn't stop, not even if I wanted to."

* * *

**A/N: **Y'all. I am so so so sorry about that hiatus. I know this is tiny update doesn't make up for that, but it closes out this arc.

A huge shout out to everyone who's left a review/sent me a pm. Y'all are amazing. I couldn't be writing this without you. Seriously. Thank you.


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